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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · pitcher · capital · fan · charge · content · rush · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. charge — in control
  3. content — happy
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. content — the amount
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. charge — a price
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — money
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rush — hurry
  15. net — for catching
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com